Flying-boat.



'e. u. culmssi I FLYING son. APPLICATION FILED DEC. H. I914.

5 v 6 Q J g' 6 z 5 z a gwvenloz GLENN H.6ui2n5s. v

Patented Now". 6, 1917.

: En STATES PAT enrich.

GLENN H. ctmrrss, or nemmonnsrem', New YORK, assmnon TO THE cun'rrss moron 00., or nmmonnsronr, new YORK, A CORPORATION 0]? new YORK.

mime-Boar.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' weenie.

Application nee manner 11, 1914. Serial mavens.

T 0 all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, GLENN H. CUR'nss, a citizen of the United States, residing at H'ammondsport, in the county "of Steuben and State of New York, have invented C8I- tain new and useful Improvements in Flyinn-Boats, ofwhich the'follo'wing is-a specification.

My invention relates to hydro'plane boats flotation and maintain direction with certainty in the water as well as in the'air.

In order to attain my object I form the bottom of'thc hull as follows: The generalposition of the main body of the planing surface of the-hull is approximately horizontal, but'the elements of the surface are variously inclined to the horizontall The frfont portion is inclined upwardly, termihating in a substantially fiat and wideextremity extending from chime'to chi'm'e of the boat. Centrally of the bottom there is provided a keel bf a depth gradually inv creasing from 'the front portion ofa point slightly aft'offthesaine, and th'erefromextending to the after extfiemity ofthe hydroplane surface on-"a line of greater depth than the chime lines, but substantially parallel thereto'or at least at a depth greater than the depthof the ehime line by a'substantially'constantamount. In other wordsthe angle ofrearwa'rd and downward inclination of the main bodyof thekeel line is substantially equal at each point'to the correspondingangle of inclination of the'chime lines.

- 'inainbod'y of theliyditiplaninq surface and upomthe upwardly inelind -pbrtion of-the bow,- and from thispoint gradually decreasing-and merging into the plane surfaceof the rearmost portion.

Patented Nov. 6, 117L Theefi'cct of this construction is'to retain the broad flat landing prow of my earlier constructions, thus insuring a promptbringing up of the boat to plauingposition when alighting, and at the sameti'me both to cushion impact by dividing the water laterally and directing it in convex form to the sides of the boat, in a. manner providing a fluid cushion for all impacts. A large a'm'o'unt'of air 1s entraln'ed together "with the water with the result that the'cus'hioning effect of the convex laterally directed streams is strongly augmented. Still further, in planing'along' the sufface of the water the action of the heel is accentuated by the concavity ofthe ad acent'planing surface,- and in planingthe lnr'geamount of air entrained with thewater is retained beneath the hull of the'boat with the result that the surface friction of the Fig.3-i's a 'similar"se'tiontaken ata slightly aft ofthe frontal'portionhnd where thesurface on opposite-sides of'thekeel are of maximumconcavity;

Fig. 4 is a sectiontak'en on 'line'4-4,-sub- 'stantially midway the extremities of the bottom;

Fig. '5is a section taken on line55,sub-

stantially amidships of the body of thebbat and across the main hydroplaning i'peruen of the bottom thereof; and Fig. 6 is'a perspective view ofth'e "bow of the boat taken from a point slightly to the starboard side.

Referring to the drawings, and to Fig. 1, 1 indicates the hull of the hea -berr ing planes 2 and 3, with thevertical-"struts 4. and 5 and bracing cables or wires 6,-till of which are of ordinary "and use-almonstructibn 'a nd need nbtbefu'rther described. Thetail 'of'the boat 7 is'pr'ovifled with'the and the maximum concavity 3a the bases of the opposite sides usual tail fin 8 and vertical rudder 9, the bottom of which rudder is sheathed to a point just above the water line in flotation. 11 is the elevator or horizontal rudder. 12 indicates the cockpit wherein the pilot seat is located.

As in the former types of boats produced by me, the hull is divided into a boatl and tail 7. in other types of boat the tail portion might be of a modified form, or else omitted altogether, auxiliary tail floats being used instead. My present improvements relate particularly to the bottom of the mam body 1. 1

The bow is curved rather sharplyupwarcl, as indicated clearly at i l, and the bottom at this point is of a width approximately the width of the body amidships, the sides being vertically extending. Fig. 2 shows the flatness of this frontal portion of the bottom and also the commencement of the keel of -the boat. Fig. 3, taken on line on the upwardly inclined portion of the bow, shows the development of the depth of the keel of the surface on opposite sides thereof. It will be observed that the circles defining the concavity of the surfaces are substantially tangent in the embodiment shown to the lines joining 15. My invention contemplates, however, an increase of this concavity or decrease thereof, in either would intersect this line.

of which cases the circles would not be tangent to the line connecting the chime lines but Fig. 4, taken on line 4-4 taken farther aft and upon the horizontally positioned portion of the bottom indicates that the concavity'has been gradually decreased, and Flg. 5 taken on l1ne I 40 5-5 shows the elimination of the concavity through the merging of the concave surfaces into the plane surfaces of the amidships section and the after end of the bottom.

As clearly indicated in Fig. 1, after the as keel has been developed at the bow of the boat, it rapidl attains a maximum depth, the relation of which to the depth ofthe chime line is maintained substantially the same from front to rear. The downward @O and rearward inclination of the bottom at the keel is therefore substantially the same as it is at the chimes. But intermediate the chimes and the keel, such rearward and downward inclination of the bottom, is less 5&5 than that of the chimes and keel until the point of maximum concavity has been sub stantially reached, and from there. aft the inclination of the intermediate surfaces is greater than that of the surfaces adjacent so the chimes and keel.

The perspective view of Fig. 6 gives an idea of he general appearance of the bottom from the bow. lhe flat frontal portion 14 is clearly visible as is also the developae ment of the keel l nd of the concavity igaeaom of the surface 17, 18 adjoining the frontal portion 14:. Further in this view is clearly shown the cleavage of the water and its lateral displacement in two convex bodies which form a pair of cushioning bridges,

skin friction is so cut down that the planing eficiency is very substantially increased.

"What I claim is:

1. A boat having a scow-like prow and a hydroplaning bottom in which its keel portion is of greater depth than its depth at the lateral margins of said bottom, and surfaces connecting such margins with the said keel in contours which in cross section range from flatness to concavity, and again to flatness, the rear flattened surfaces making a dihedral angle with the keel as the vertex of said angle.

2. A boat havingahydro-bottom provided with a keel portion, a scow-like bow, chime edges, and surfaces connecting said edges with said keel portion, said surfaces being characterized by transverse concavity, the concavity in each instance disappearing gradually both fore "and aft as said surfaceslateral marginal portions of the bottom, and having its surfaces on opposite sides of the keel disposed to form channelsof a depth increasing from said flat frontal portion to a maximum adjacent the rear end of said inclined prow and from thence decreasing to a minimum at the rear end of the bottom.

4- A boat having a hydroplaning bottom provided with a keel portion having a downward and rearward inclination substantially R equal to the same inclination of the lateral marginalportions and a depth greater than said lateral marginal portions, the downward and rearward inclination of the surfaces intermediate said keel ortion and said lateral marginal portions being greater than the same inclination of both the keel and lateral marginal portions.

5. A. boat having a hydroplanin bottom formed with a flattened bow, a kee portion ILGO emanating from said flattened bow to reach a depth greater than the lateral margins of said bottom, the boat having bottom surfaces connecting the keel and said margins in contours increasing from the bow flatness to a maximum concavity and diminishing from the latter again to flatness, the rearward flattened surfaces making a dihedral an le with the keel as the vertex.

6. A oat having a hydroplaning bottom provided with a keel in substantially the same horizontal plane as the transversely alined margins of the bottom at the bow of the boat and in a lower said bottom, the boat havlng bottom surfaces to connect the keel portion with the bottommargins at a, salient dihedral angle at one- -'end and inthe same plane of common flatness at the other end and intermediately with. contours evolved on arcs of varying radii.

. 7. A boat provided with a flattened scowlike bow rounding oif sharply into a hydroplaning bottom, said bottom includin longitudinal surfaces of a variable curvi inear cross sectlon, the maximum curve of said cross section being attained in immediate proximity to the flattened bow to provide cushioning means' therefor upon impact thereof with the water and the cross sec.

tional curves of said bottom surfaces being similarly flattened in a gradual rearwar lane at the rear of progression to merge into an angled rearward gliding portion. v

8. A hydroplane boat including a bottom characterized by longitudinal saliency, the hydroplane portion of said bottom terminating rearwardly at the point of maximum saliency, the 'bottom in the vicinity of the bow and in transverse section having a double concavity of relative prominency, said bottom being flattened out gradually to minimum concavity in the vicmity of said point of maximum saliency.

9. In a hydroaeromachine, the combination with means for effecting aerial flight, of a flotation body having a longitudinally "salient bottom at the keel line of said body,

that portion of said bottom in advance of its point of maximum saliency constituting a hydroplane surface characterized by con cavity at each side of the keel line of such prominency and depth that the water is deflected when hydroplaning outwardly and downwardly, the concavity in each instance becoming less acute toward the rear end of the hydroplane surface;

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses. I 5

l v GLENN. H.-OURTISS. Witnesses G. R'HA'LL, H. (J. GENUNG. 

